DeVonta Smith
vs A.J. Brown

““ DeVonta Smith is a scary play this week. Philadelphia’s passing volume remains underwhelming, and Trent McDuffie will likely be matched up with him for much of the game. McDuffie has only allowed three receptions for 61 yards and no touchdowns this year, so I’d be a bit surprised if DeVonta lives up to his WR10 price tag this week.” – Jim Moorman ( Dynasty Football Factory )”

“Over two games this season, Smith has 38.9% of the team's targets against Cover 1, averaging 2.74 yards per route run.”

“DeVonta Smith ‘ s 36% target share is the 5th highest among all WRs so far.”

“DeVonta Smith was expected to shift into a feature role following Philadelphia’s decision to deal A.J. Brown to New England, but it appears that the Eagles missed the memo. Quarterback Jalen Hurts hardly threw passes all afternoon, completing just 14 passes for 203 yards, primarily deep strikes to Dallas Goedert and Dontayvion Wicks .”

“Smith ranks as Andy’s WR9 in a matchup against the Commanders, who ranked last in yards allowed per game last season.”

“the Bengals hints that DeVonta Smith will play significant slot snaps, too, which probably bodes well for Smith’s fantasy value.”

“01 | DeVonta Smith | WR, Philadelphia Eagles DeVonta Smith ‘s Athletic Profile Last season, DeVonta Smith finished just outside of WR2 range with an underwhelming 11.9 FPPG.”

“Ladd McConkey and DeVonta Smith were also considered. 4.11: Jaylen Waddle (WR – DEN) Jaylen Waddle is being overlooked as he enters his first year with the Broncos.”

“However, Smith was outstanding when seeing enough volume, averaging 19.3 fantasy points per game in the seven contests where he had seven or more targets, scoring 20 or more in nearly a third of those outings.”

“Smith is a perfect WR pairing with Nabers, bringing a player fantasy managers should feel good about not only being the top target on their team, but one who has proven he can carry the load as a top-12 WR for fantasy.”

“When one of Brown or DeVonta Smith has missed time in the past, Goedert has stepped up as the second option”

“After being traded to New England, Brown should immediately command massive volume and reclaim high-end WR1 upside, with an ascending quarterback in Drake Maye.”

“At 28, Brown is a big upgrade for a Patriots passing game that ranked fifth in the league, a huge improvement from the Eagles’ 27th-ranked unit.”

“A.J. Brown was the round two pick, built on a significant situational upgrade. His new offense ranked ninth in neutral passing rate last year, compared to his old offense’s 15th-ranked mark, and that gap could widen further with continued quarterback development, a new star receiver alongside him, and a tougher schedule that should force more passing.”

“Even in a “down” season, Brown topped 1,000 yards receiving on a run-first offense and scored seven touchdowns. In ESPN’s open score and PFF’s receiving grade — both metrics that seek to evaluate a wide receiver’s performance even if he’s not targeted on a passing play — Brown ranked No. 9 and No. 13 out of over a hundred wideouts.”

“Getting AJ Brown, who was the WR5 over the final seven games of 2025, cannot hurt Maye. All three Ballers think he is a receiver who could truly finish as the WR1 overall.”

“Andrew Erickson isn't worried about A.J. Brown's "down" season. He believes it created a buying opportunity. Despite modest touchdown totals last year, Brown still produced at a high level while commanding an elite target share. Erickson expects Josh McDaniels to feature Brown as the unquestioned focal point of New England's passing attack. If that happens, Brown could easily return to top-three fantasy wide receiver production.”

“A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert each missed just one game due to injury. Brown has since been traded.”

“Since entering the league in 2019, Brown has consistently demonstrated an ability to rack up massive yards after the catch (YAC) numbers, but has never been a true volume-based receiver. If one were to remove his totals for the 2023 season (which was an outlier), Brown averaged fewer than 70 receptions per season.”

“The analysts believe fantasy managers may be underestimating just how much upside exists in A.J. Brown's new situation. Derek Brown pointed to improvements in offensive philosophy and red-zone passing opportunities as reasons for optimism, and there was confidence that Brown remains one of the league's premier target earners.”

“In a putrid Eagles' passing attack last season, Brown was ninth in target share, 13th in air yards and eighth in red-zone target share. Now he moves to a team with an ascending passing quarterback and an offense that targets its receivers downfield.”

“A.J. Brown was involved in a trade that prompted rankings updates from the Fantasy Footballers.”

“We still have a strong sample of Brown playing at a high level last season, and he is going to play more snaps than Diggs did in this offense, with an upgrade in a complete offensive environment, keeping him firmly in play as a high-end fantasy WR1 for 2026.”